Southern California Edison, an electric company providing power to some 15 million Californians, said its equipment may have started the Hurst Fire and is looking into a possible connection to the Eaton Fire, as well. The Eaton and Hurst fires burned approximately 124,000 and 800 acres, respectively, in Los Angeles County last month.
SCE submitted two letters to the California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday stating that while the official origins of both fires are still under investigation, preliminary information suggests a possible link to SCE’s equipment, Edison International said in a Thursday press release.
“While we do not yet know what caused the Eaton wildfire, SCE is exploring every possibility in its investigation, including the possibility that SCE’s equipment was involved,” Pedro J. Pizarro, president and CEO Edison International, said in a Thursday statement. “We have been fully engaged since the start of the fires in supporting the broader emergency response, containment, recovery and investigation efforts.”
The Los Angeles Police Department is the lead agency assigned to investigate the causes of both fires and determined the origins of the Hurst Fire to be linked to SCE’s equipment.
ESSENTIAL PHONE NUMBERS FOR LOS ANGELES-AREA RESIDENTS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP THEM
Edison International is working to obtain grid data, maintenance records, photos and videos to determine how a fire may have ignited from its equipment, according to the press release.
Residents have so far filed 40 lawsuits against SCE in the aftermath of the fires, according to The Los Angeles Times.
“Southern California Edison finally admitted what fire attorneys like me have known for weeks: that they were the cause of the Hurst Fire,” Neama Rahmani, an attorney representing victims of the Eaton Fire, told Fox News Digital. “Now it’s time for Edison to accept responsibility for the Eaton Fire that caused thousands of Pasadena and Altadena homeowners and renters to lose their homes and caused tens of billions of dollars in damage. “
Rahmani noted that “Edison’s lawyers have sent a letter implying that a homeless encampment hundreds of yards from source of the Eaton fire may have been the cause.”
CALIFORNIA GOV. NEWSOM SHOULD TAKE ‘NO-BRAINER’ ACTION TO CRACK DOWN ON WILDFIRE LAWLESSNESS, DAS SAY
“You don’t have to be a fire expert to know that it was caused by Edison’s tower. We’ve all seen the pictures and videos of the sparks at top of the tower, causing the dry vegetation below to ignite,” he said. “Instead of doing the right thing, Edison has chosen to dig in their heels and litigate. We and our clients are ready for the fight.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Edison International.
SCE anticipates the full investigation into the origins of the fire will take months to complete.
“Edison International and SCE have been part of this community for almost 140 years,” Pizarro said. “As we work to rebuild, SCE’s ongoing investments in wildfire prevention and mitigation, including undergrounding and hardening the grid in high-risk areas will continue, and if necessary, be expanded.”
SCE crew members, contractors and mutual assistance personnel have installed 400,000 feet of power lines (approximately 75 miles); set 1,265 poles; and replaced 380 transformers since Jan. 31. SCE also opened 24 customer service locations during the windstorm, according to Edison International.
MALIBU MAN THANKS FIREFIGHTERS WHO SAVED HIS HOME FROM LA WILDFIRES: ‘WE KEPT THE FIRE FROM THAT DOOR’
The wildfires have so far burned 57,636 acres, destroyed 16,255 structures and left 29 people dead. Tens of thousands have been displaced after their homes were destroyed.
Global data analytics from Verisk estimates that insured losses will reach at least $28 billion — the costliest disaster in U.S. history.
